I have some work to do to get back into full Wannabe, but I think that I am inspired to do so. Looking back over my list there are some changes that are going to have to take place. There are some others that I am going to have to wrestle with did I actually accomplish what I set out to do or should I give it another shot. For example, I completed a screenwriting course online that wasn’t associated with MIT. Does it really matter that it wasn’t a MIT course or was the point to complete an online class? More to come on that.

This last Monday I was invited to speak on my first podcast. It was a great time and really inspirational to get off my ass and back into accomplishing some things while I am on this journey. Chris and Austin from Real Talk Live both decided that they wanted to put something together and have done just that. Simply by deciding that they wanted to give a shot at creating their own podcast show. You can find my episode here: Real Talk Live Podcast. If you enjoy help those guys out by using their amazon link or giving them a good review.

As far an crossing something off the list… here is one. I started a club of sorts. Last year the Squeal’n Pigskin Syndicate was born. It is a fantasy football league that I put together with 11 of my “friends.” I use that term loosely because we are ridiculous and brutal to each other through the season. Trades are overanalyzed. Arguments are heated. Not to mention the insane betting that goes on through out. I am currently in a horrible losing streak and sit at 2-4 on the season. I owe wager pay ups of a Dinner that I only purchase at the dollar store, I have to host one of them overnight at my house. I also had to perform a dubsmash everyday for a week following a loss. These are very benign wagers for this league. We have had worms eaten, scandalous music videos, and paintball firing squads in the past. I have also been known to produce a weekly video recap of the syndicate that all of the other ridicule relentlessly.

That being said I am very proud of my Syndicate and feel that it more than qualifies as a club that I’ve started. I hope that all the fellow owners would agree with my as they have high expectations for how we play after a season and a quarter.

And here it is again. My annual “I’m going to get back to blogging post.” Hopefully this year I mean it.

Last night I made Moscow Mule’s for my wife and I. I was flipping though the recipe book that I have been trying to cook everything out of and it sounded perfect for the ridiculously hot weather Northern Cali is experiencing this week. Of course then I began to think about Adventure Wannabe and how neglected it has been. Sad really, because I really am excited and love this project. So here we go again…

To be honest it’s not like I don’t have my list in the back of my mind everyday. I have accomplished quite a few items on the list that hasn’t been updated. (I know I know, what is wrong with me?) I have decided I am a complete and total procrastinator. One of the worst ailments in life. Who wants to sit around talking about what they would like to do in life instead of actually getting off their ass and doing some of it??

Time is not on my side though. I am raising two incredible sons and need to pay more attention to the love of my life and best friend. Is there any way to negotiate for a 25 hour in the day? These really are just the excuses I use to rationalize my lack of accomplishment though. I am a master of killing time. I love movies, tv shows, sports and most forms of entertainment, that is just a fact. Each one of those can kill hours upon hours in a day though. Time that would be much better exploring, educating, building, producing or creating.

Not all of my days are wasted though. I have coached my kids in several sports for the last couple of years and it has been a blast (most of the time.) I have completed a couple of online courses that should help me conquer some of my items. I have written a bit, I do have a monthly assignment for a recipe article in a regional family magazine that I have been doing for just over a year now. I have attended multiple sporting events in a journalistic capacity, even making it to Vegas for a PPV show which I thought was a pretty big deal.

What I am getting to is that I am not feeling that I make the best use of my time. This endeavor illustrates just how much I would like to get done in this life and I feel I am unbelievably behind schedule. So in the annual tradition of this post I will once again commit to getting more done, learning more and most importantly exploring more. Hopefully that will all lead to documenting more.

I got a email from my blog yesterday. It was an alert to tell me that Adventure Wannabe was turning 4 years old. Of course it got me to reminiscing about all that has happened in that time. In addition to all of the noted excursions and experiences that I have had that were a direct result of my blog I have had so many countless others.

I became a father again.

I have been blessed to continue living a life with my best friend as my wife.

I have made numerous new friends that have made life so much more interesting.

I have become a published magazine journalist. (Sonoma Family Life)

I have gone to events that I never would have before. (Ringside at UFC)

I walked up to one of my heroes. (Willie Mays at the final 49er game in the ‘Stick.)

In addition to all of the documented adventures that you have read about in my posts.

However I think that the most lasting impact that AW has had on my life is that I no longer have as much hesitation to attempt new things. Life is way more crazy than when I started this. I had no idea what raising two little boys was really going to entail. That is the best adventure that I have been on though. They have given Dani and I a life filled with something new each and every day. For that I am blessed.

I have no reason to ask you to come back and check on me. I would have moved on by now. It understandable.

However, I am going to attempt to resurrect my little blog and get back to writing regularly. Life just got a little too complicated and there simply wasn’t enough time to dedicate to my project here. It doesn’t mean that I’ve been slacking on my listed goals. I’ve actually put a few to bed in my time away. I just haven’t made the time to share with you.

I needed a little time away to get some things in order, prioritize and give time to the people in my life that deserve it. Chasing my two sons around with my wife is also the most important thing that I can do with my time. They aren’t going to be this age ever again. Wouldn’t want to miss anything I don’t already with work and other distractions.

But I’m coming back to the AW. No promises or anything, but I have missed putting my pursuits down, and quite frankly writing anything semi-regularly feels good. Theraputic if you will. So I hope that I can win you back. Let you know that I do appreciate that you give a moment or two of your day to see what’s new in my zoo.

Changes are coming to my list. Seems like an annual update is in order. Drop an item or two that isn’t as important to me as it once was and add some that have grabbed my attention at this point in my journey. I will also start updating the accomplishments that I’ve checked off in my time away from the keyboard.

Starting now with #139 Become a Personal Trainer. Back in May I was recovering from a ankle injury that had sidelined me for several weeks. An opportunity to test for my personal trainer certification came up locally and I just didn’t want another opportunity to pass me by. Thankfully my mother bankrolled my enrollment and I attended and passed the test with flying colors.

I didn’t think that I was ever going to work full time as a trainer, but might take a client or two in flexible circumstances. One such circumstance presented itself and I was training a girl to gain some speed for her soccer career. Her hard work paid off tremendously and she just completed a terrific season. I did take some pride in watching her improve with the little guidance and encouragement that I was able to give her.

So I’m hoping to win you back with more of my adventures. The tone of them may be evolving with the growth and maturity of my family. The boys are now forming their own ideas of what is “cool” and “fun.” I am just going to strive to stay in that category for as long as I can in their worlds.

I put this item on the list with only a half-hearted belief that I would actually go through with it. I never really considered myself a tattoo man. Probably because it was drilled into my head that “good” people didn’t have tattoos. They were the marks of thugs, criminals, and low life’s. What a crock!
What I had actually said was that I would never get anyone’s name tattooed on me…especially a girl. I believed that as soon as anyone did that the clock was ticking before they split. Dani and I had talked about it many times and it was always the same. She thought I wasn’t really committed to her…even though she has a wedding ring, two adorable kids of mine and we have ridden more than our fair share of ups and downs in our relationship. I always answered that I would NEVER get anything permanent because then she would be headed out the door.
Then Valentines day arrived. Dani has been “saying” that she wants to get a tattoo to symbolize our boys, but she never did anything about it. (Kinda like I did about a lot of things before I started this list, and still do about most things.) I usually gave her a pretty hard time about getting a tattoo. How I was against it, it might be trashy, what if she didn’t like how it turned out. So I figured she would be pretty surprised when I went and got her a gift certificate for her tattoo.
The more I thought about it the less I could see any reason to not have something for Dani tattooed on me. She is the love of my life, my best friend and the mother of my children. No matter what the future holds I know we will be together. I simply cannot fathom a life without her…enough of the gushy stuff. I found a copy of her signature and took it with me to the tattoo shop. I had decided to get it placed on my wrist. She was going to flip!

I felt bad because it took a lot longer to set up the station that it did to do the tattoo. Less than 10 minutes and I was done. Permanently branded as the property of Danielle Corippo. I love it though. I can’t imagine not having it now. It just fits. Oh, and she flipped out. I don’t think she really believed that I had gotten an actual tattoo of her name. For a few days I wondered if she was expecting it to wash off eventually.

I ran into a dilemma afterwards though. I didn’t think that I had truly gotten “enough” of a tattoo to claim on my list. Sure it meant the world to me and I think it’s pretty awesome, but it took less than 10 minutes and really is just a couple of squiggly lines. Dani has gotten to the point that she can draw it out in a second or less.
Leave it to her to solve my dilemma for me. Fathers day I received a gift certificate to get another tattoo. This one was going to be something that I had been kicking around since we got married and went on our honeymoon to Hawaii. The problem I always had was that I would add things to it. I knew I wanted a tiki god, one of the love gods that are protecting their family. I also wanted to incorporate my fire fighting badge. My department has adopted a pretty unique badge, not one of those that every firefighter has that you can bulk order out of a magazine, but a true Maltese cross. I would have to include something for our first child, Daisey our lovable yellow lab. Then we went and had our boys, no way could I get out of having them in it.
So it never seemed to be rock solid, but now I had been pushed up against the wall.
Mark Phillips at Trust Tattoo in Ukiah nailed it though. It turned out more perfect than I could have ever imagined.

After more than three hours of pain and suffering as the needle dug in and out of my leg I had it. Mark had taken a pretty simple line drawing and idea and turned it into a remarkable piece of art…on my leg! He incorporated all of the things that I was asking for and I think it’s badass!!! It has made me think I’m pretty awesome strolling around in shorts this summer. Everyone has had great things to say about him. I really don’t know what took me so long to go for it, but I’m glad that Dani finally pushed me into it.
And just like that my list is smaller by one more item…

Time to catch up the old library. This is going to be sort of a long list so we’ll run through them quickly…

Scared Stiff by Annelise Ryan

This was a fast read about a murder in a small town. You know one of those that everyone knows everyone else’s business? It was enjoyable and I really liked that the protagonist wasn’t taken too seriously throughout. She had more than her fair share of embarrassment which made for a great change of pace from the perfect heroes in most stories. 6/10

A Band of Misfits by Andrew Baggarly

I had to relive the great postseason run of my San Francisco Giants after the disappointment of not making the playoffs last year. What a fun ride! 9/10…but I’m really biased.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The second in the Hunger Games trilogy. Started out great and kinda fizzled at the end. I just expected more before I ran out of pages…7/10

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The conclusion of the Hunger Games. Don’t know why, but I wasn’t satisfied with this one. Wanted more from these characters I grew so fond of in the first two books. 4/10

The Long Run, by Mishka Shubaly

This was a mildly entertainingly narrative of a man that transformed from a drunk, druggie, couch potato slob to a long distance runner. 5/10

The People of The Mist by Haggard H. Rider

Mr. Rider has taken me on a few great adventures now and is becoming one of my favorite authors. They are page turners that a filled with adventures of explorers and treasures. This one didn’t disappoint. 8/10

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

Another great classic from THE great American author. I wish I could spend one day in his imagination. 8/10

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens by J.M. Barrie

The origin story of Peter Pan. Just had to find out how the story started, could have lived without it. 3/10

Sons and Princes by James LePore

A gritty story from the New York mafia and protecting your children. Was a good decent read that kept me interested from start to finish. 7/10

Dust by Arthur Slade

Off the wall story involving missing children and a Piped Piper type character. I didn’t want to like it, but I kept coming back to see what was going to happen. 6/10

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

The basis of Apocalypse Now. An journey on a river of chaos and insanity. 7/10

Under Your Skin by JR Chartrand

Teens are literally scratching themselves to death in this mystery novel. One that you have to keep reading to see what is going to happen. 7/10

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, John LeCarre

The best spy novel ever written, even though it’s a bit dated now. I couldn’t put it down and agree with all the hoopla over it. Think that I am going to have to read it again though, I’m sure there are parts that I will love rediscovering. 9/10

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

I had stared this book a handfull of times and stopped in about the same place each time. Just couldn’t get into it for some reason. This time I put my nose down and powered through and was pleasantly surprised that is got really good after that stopping point. A different perspective on the typical Dracula myth. 8/10

Birdmen by Phil Williams

The only reason that I picked this out was that I have met the author. He is the husband of my best friends cousin…full disclosure. What an incredible surprise when I became completely immersed in the story. The twists and turns of a military tour were incredible and I truly came to care for the guys and what they were going through. I would highly recommend and hope that there are more stories to come from this yet pretty much undiscovered author. You’ll thank me for it. 9/10

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

I went for this because of the movie trailer starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. What a weird journey I was taken on. Sad, disturbing and somewhat depressing. Then I tried to watch the movie and was incredibly disappointed, should have never been attempted as a film. I would give the book a 7/10.

I just hand to finish the trilogy. While I was into what was going on in the back of my mind I had a nagging voice repeating “this is nowhere close to the first one.” While I am going to miss Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander and where their adventures might have gone. I think it might be best that they separated ways after three books. 7/10

The Parrot Talks in Chocolate by Everett Peacock

Wanted some lighter subjects and this was just the ticket. Nothing can beat tiki bars, Hawaii, surfing and bar stories. No plot to follow, no deep meaning to unearth, just observations of life in an island bar. Good fun read that brought a smile to my face and a desire to get back to an island ASAP! 8/10

Just checking in for a short note to report that I weighed in at 211lbs for the weight loss challenge.
Some other notes:
Having some issues remembering all the books that I’ve read in the last 6-8 months. I should have kept better track, but I’m working on it.
I have some other bigger news, you know…things to cross off. Just have to get used to using my iPad or go get my laptop. The app is a bit different than the website, but I’m having a chance to watch the ins and outs of it.

The List

1. Game at Fenway
2. Game at Wrigley
3. Full Ironman
4. Climb Shasta
5. Game at Lambeau
6. Super Bowl
7. World Series-(10/28/2010) Giants take Game 2 of the World Series!!!
8. Write for 30 days straight – 30 min
9. Climb Half Dome
10. Get an article published
11. Game in McCovey Cove - (10/3/2010) Giants clinch the NL West Title!!!!
12. Play 10 songs on guitar
13. Team Mud Run
14. Marathon
15. Go to church for a month
16. Start a tradition -(Delivering Christmas packages through the Ukiah Christmas Effort – 12/24/09)
17. Own the perfect home
18. Take Dani to Cirque de Soleil “Love” in Vegas
19. Pay my respects at WTC
20. Eat a VooDoo donut
21. Seattle Seahawk game
22. Dine at The French Laundry
23. Swim with dolphins
24. Meet someone with my name (Screwed it up first time…stand by for updates.)
25. Attempt to set a Guiness record
26. Play in a poker tournament - (04/18/10)
27. See a shuttle launch
28. See an erupting volcano
29. Sky dive - (10/16/2011)
30. Meet one of my heroes
31. Go to film premeire
32. Eat at 25 Diners, Drive in’s and Dives – (In Progress 10/25 complete, See Fieri’s Footsteps)
33. Be part of a flashmob
34. Make one of Robbys dreams come true
35. Throw out a first pitch
36. Walk the train tracks to SR
37. Read 1000 books – 250 recommended from others – (In Progress – See Books for #37)
38. Meet a Pres of USA
39. Volunteer as support at a race
40. Ride a horse - (Got a good lead on this one…Thanks Charlie!)
41. Hike the Na Pali Coast Trail
42. Watch Ken Burns – Baseball (08/13/2011)
43. Watch Ken Burns – National Parks (03/24/2010)
44. Compete a City Chase (Urban Adventure)race - (06/19/10)
45. Interviewed on National TV
46. Perform a stand up routine
47. Visit Yellowstone and see Old Faithful
48. Complete the 100 push up program and do 100 consecutive push ups (In Progress…slow progress)
49. Get to an airport and get on a plane without knowing where beforehand
50. Give it another chance – 3 foods (Sushi, Tofu, Brussel Sprouts)(4/16/2010)
51. Get my weight to 185lbs (War has been declared!!!)
52. Learn Spanish well enough to earn bilingual stipend
53. Earn SCUBA certification
54. Go on a firewalk
55. Swim with shark
56. Swim in a shipwreck
57. Fly an aircraft - (02/14/2010)
58. Go white water rafting
59. Go zorbing
60. See Grand Canyon
61. See the Northern Lights
62. Mardi Gras in New Orleans
63. Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center
64. Experience Weightlessness
65. See St Peters Basilica, The Vatican, Rome
66. See The Pyramids, Egypt
67. See Stonehenge, England
68. Sydney Opera house, Australia
69. Indoor Snowboarding, Dubai
70. Vegas Baby, Vegas (4/17/2010)
71. Climb Mount Olympus, Greece
72. El Prado in Madrid, Spain
73. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
74. The Louvre, Paris, France (Mona Lisa)
75. Visit the Colisseum, Rome
76. Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
77. Machu Picchu, Peru
78. Mexican Pyramids
79. See Mount Rushmore
80. Climb the Statue of Liberty
81. Buy an around the world airline ticket and use it
82. Go to top of Empire State Building
83. Enter a photo in a exhibit
84. Brew my own beer
85. Restore an old vehicle
86. Get my bachelor’s degree
87. Have a second career
88. Meet Willie Mays
89. Meet Stephen King
90. Meet Jimmy Buffett
91. Own a pair of Chuck Taylors – (12/29/09)
92. Meet Laird Hamilton
93. Work in a beachside bar
94. Photograph at least 50 different waterfalls -(In progress 2/50 photographed)
95. Rose Bowl Game
96. Make a loan to an entrepreneur through Kiva.com
97. Learn to handle a firearm - (9/25/2011)
98. Grow a successful garden - (8/21/10)
99. Eat a salad of self grown vegetable
100. Make a film and post online
101. Take Dani shopping on Rodeo Dr
102. Drive a car that costs more than my annual salary
103. Milk a cow
104. Watch turtles hatching and help them make it to ocean
105. Be vegetarian for 30 days -(01/31/2010)
106. Participate in a food fight - (07/07/2010)
107. Own the rookie baseball cards of my all time team
108. Write in a journal every day for a year
109. Visit Corippo, Switzerland
110. Send a message in a bottle with instructions to make contact when found
111. Touch the Stanley Cup
112. Sleep in a haunted house
113. Compete in a soap box derby
114. Have my picture taken with someone from Broken Lizard
115. Play my guitar in public and see how much money I can make
116. Write a Play that gets performed
117. 100 visits in 1 day to the blog
118. Get a tattoo - (2/14/2012)
119. Something that someone else comes up with
120. Go without soda for 30 days - (1/31/11)
121. Stand at 4 corners USA
122. See Niagra Falls
123. Call an inning of a Giants game with Kruk and Kuip
124. Take Photos of all the items on my list – (In Progress, posted on blog)
125. Train trip to Chicago
126. Partake in Japanese Tea Ceremony
127. Take the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
128. Take part in a champagne shower celebration
129. Surf and Snowboard in one day
130. Go to a major fight
131. Ride a stage of the Tour de France
132. Play a round of golf on a famous course
133. Drive Route 66
134. Drive a dog sled
135. See the monuments of DC
136. Raise money for a cause that has an effect on my life
137. Snowboard in another country
138. Wake up and run 3 miles every morning for a month
139. Get my personal trainer certification- (5/4/2013)
140. Do half marathon
141. Do 5k
142. Alcatraz race
143. Nautica Malibu Triathlon
144. Meet Robin Williams
145. 24+ hour adventure race
146. Place in my age group at Ukiah Triathlon
147. See the Liberty Bell
148. Hike the John Muir Trail
149. Cross the equator on land, sea, and air
150. Create a way to publicly track my 200 things – (adventurewannabe.wordpress.com- 12/27/09)
151. Tour Ben and Jerry factory
152. Visit St. John
153. Take a Photography class with Dani
154. Own a Nikon DSLR - (2/2/2010)
155. Bike ride 200 miles/month for 3 months
156. Grow a full beard- (8/29/2011)
157. When Dani asks to purchase something big be able to say yes
158. Help 10 others “Do something before they die”
159. Costa Rica
160. Throw a crazy theme party
161. Kayak in Lake Tahoe
162. Hike Tahoe Rim Trail
163. Apply to an Ivy League School
164. Visit Baseball Hall of Fame
165. Own a Longboard (skate) and use it
166. Learn to score a baseball game- (08/07/11)
167. Crush grapes with my feet – (06/19/10)
168. Bike to work for a month
169. Fast for 3 days
170. Drive the Pacific Coast Highway from Leggett to Dana Point
171. Own an Axe
172. Go to Notre Dame football game
173. Zip line
174. Cook all recipes in a cookbook – (Working through Tyler Florence’s Dinner at my Place)
175. See a tornado
176. Try acupuncture
177. Master making 10 drinks -(In Progress 1/10, See The Bar page)
178. Learn to make great pizza crust
179. Save $5000 to use only in emergency
180. See major city parade - SF Giants World Series Victory Parade (11/03/2010)
181. Broadway show
182. Have a team in the 24 hour relay
183. Learn to ride a motorcycle
184. Run a 8 minute mile
185. Learn meditation - (01/20/10)
186. Own another Jeep – (Actually a FJ40) – (06/2/10)
187. Learn to weld
188. Have a pen pal (Postal Service mail)
189. Visit 10 grave sites of people I admire
190. Island Hop in the Caribbean (3 island minimum)
191. Self publish on Blurb or Lulu
192. Visit 10 famous movie locations
193. Start a club- (August 2014) Created the Squeal'n Pigskin Syndicate
194. Take a MIT online course
195. Sit down with a stranger at a restaurant and share a meal
196. Spend the night on the beach
197. NaNoWriMo
198. Snowmobile
199. Learn to write my name in another language – (Charlie found a website…just have to practice)
200. Make homemade cheese- (5/1/2010)

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